Sunday, April 13, 2008

Son of Rambow

I didn't choose to go to this. It was a youth outing from church. However, this British film is worth a look. There's plenty of stuff to make you laugh and, if you're of a certain age, a nice re-creation of early 80s Britain, including a Corona Lemonade stand in the supermarket. Now, whatever happened to Corona Lemonade?

The basic plot is two outsiders - Will, a Plymouth Brethren kid who isn't allowed to watch TV documentaries in class, and Lee, a troublemaker who gets kicked out of class regularly - meet in the school hallways while everyone else is in class. After watching a pirated copy of Rambo, they team up to make a film, and things get messy from thereon.

I really liked this film. The two kids who play the lead roles are very good. There is an hilarious incident with a flying dog attached to a stunt kite. And there are plenty of throwaway jokes. The opening lines of the documentaries Will has to sit outside for start with lines like "Fire is man's greatest friend... but also his greatest foe!" followed by screams, or "The wheel is man's greatest invention... and also his most deadly!" followed by screeching tyres and screams.

There's a nostalgia too, for a simpler time, when kids could go running off into the woods, set up stunts and make a movie. One kid says how he always wanted a watch. Okay, some of that nostalgia is idealistic. The early 80s I actually lived through weren't so great. There was plenty of fear around and generally the mood was nihilistic.

But still, this is an authentic-feeling feel-good movie. I liked it and I'd watch it again.